Youth Artists Launch a Revolution to Confront Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) was once called adult-onset diabetes. Now, T2D affects children of color at epidemic proportions. The Bigger Picture, a novel communication campaign co-created by UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations and Youth Speaks highlights how young people of color can transform themselves from being targets of diabetic risk to active agents in shifting the conversation about T2D. Just released today, The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and The New York Times (NYT) feature The Bigger Picture Campaign’s pioneering efforts to mentor and equip youth messengers to speak out to reverse this trend and acknowledge the social and environmental drivers of Type 2 diabetes among youth. JAMA and NYT present The Bigger Picture Campaign’s powerful youth poets with the debuts of four original poetry music videos. The four youth-generated films confront:

Health consequences of highly caffeinated, sugary “energy drinks” hardworking fathers use to power them through seemingly endless workdays.

The burden of poverty that can afflict migrant families and prevent them from being able to afford the very produce they’ve harvested.

The subversive and harmful role sugar-sweetened beverages play in the assimilation process of immigrant communities and the legacy of gestational diabetes.

The challenge of tackling physical inactivity when faced with obesity-related stigma, and the cultural influences and joy centering around unhealthy food in low-income families.

We appeal to you to donate so we may amplify the reach and impact of the campaign for a national audience. With your support, The Bigger Picture can further develop (1) workshop programing to develop additional content and guide dynamic young agents of change, (2) school-based performances and longitudinal engagement, (3) strategic social media communications, and (4) plans for scaling up the campaign statewide and nationally. Together, we are poised to harness this opportunity to transform The Bigger Picture from a social media campaign to a public health movement.